—saying yes to everything

Written By : Annalisa Frumento

About a year ago I found myself in a funk. I was finding myself going to bed early, neglecting my social life, and opting out of plans. Now, even though I would practically always prefer being curled up in bed rather than doing anything else, I am out of my funk and most importantly I am happy. In the wise words of Taylor Swift “...been saying yes instead of no.”

The philosophy of saying yes is not new. In fact, there is a movie titled Yes Day starring Jennifer Garner from 2021, where a mom says nothing but yes to her kids. It is a fun watch, totally recommended! Jennifer, although very influential, is not the reason I adopted a new mindset. I had to come to it on my own. As I have been putting myself ‘out there’ more, I have learned about myself in ways I really did not expect. I mean, who knew I would have liked horseback riding? Definitely not me one year ago, but after I said yes just one time, I have gone back several times since.

Saying yes when I would rather say no is not as torturous as it may sound. Yes, anxiety is sometimes crippling sometimes, but I have found that doing anything scared is better than not doing it at all. Another rule to live by with this mindset is; you will never regret something that you have done, only things that you have not and missed out on. Of course I have said yes to nights out that have been total flops… but who hasn’t? I learned that I really value my friendships and the adventures that just one night out can lead you to. The amount of friends I have made just from going to new places has really been amazing.

There are times for bedrotting of course, but while we are young let’s live it up! Start saying yes to things, you won’t regret it.